wordorigins.org has a pretty thorough writeup: http://www.wordorigins.org/ This most offensive of words in American speech dates back to the late 16th century, although the modern spelling doesn't appear until two centuries later. The OED2's earliest cite of the modern spelling is from 1786 in Burns's Ordination. (The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, however, claims that this is an editorial error and Burns's original manuscript uses the older niger.) The obsolete spelling niger dates to 1574. It comes from the Latin meaning black. It shares this common root with negro. The offensiveness of the term has increased over time, especially in the 20th century. Two 16th century quotes that are commonly cited in dictionaries are from scholarly tracts. A 1700 quote by judge Samuel Sewall uses the term in a denunciation of slavery. Gradually, however, polite discourse increasingly used the term negro (which dates to at least 1555) and nigger became relegated to the vulgar tongue, increasing in offensiveness over the centuries. So for example, when Mark Twain uses the word in Huckleberry Finn, by the standards of his day he is not being especially offensive (although even then it was a term that would not be used in polite society), but is using the term as a marker of class and socio-economic status of the characters who utter it. In the 20th century of course, it has become extremely offensive. It, along with cunt are just about the only taboo words in American discourse today (it's interesting that the most offensive terms have strong racial or gender discrimination components). About the only acceptable use is in Black English when African-Americans use it to refer to themselves. (There is a similar reclamation of the word queer among homosexuals to rob the term of its offensiveness of the term by using it to refer to themselves.) It is etymologically unrelated to the word niggard.

It comes from the old word niger dating back to 1574. From Latin meaning black. Nigger is an extremely controversial term used in many English-speaking countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia (but also in other languages such as German as a loanword) to refer to people of African descent. During the chattel enslavement of Africans, it was once the standard, casual English term for black people. Associations with the word traditionally have been an institutional contempt, a presumption of inherent inferiority, even of bestiality, making it extremely pejorative and abusive. Despite, or expanding the controversy, "nigger" originates from the Dutch and German "neger," which is their orthography and phonetics for the Portuguese and Spanish "negro." The English distorted neger to "negar" to "nigger." "Neger" (sometimes spelled "neggar") prevailed in the North in New York under the Dutch and in Philadelphia in the Moravian and "Pennsylvania Dutch" [German] communities. For example, the New York City "African Burial Ground" was originally known as "Begraaf Plaats van de Neger." It acquired its offensive and dehumanizing character from the confluence of Catholic and Protestant religious doctrine of nations engaged in slavery and, in America, the American Revolution, which could not admit to black equality, even after freedom. Thus, after the Revolution nigger became a racial epithet, a word of hatred, for the black presence in "white" America. Historically, African Americans have appropriated the slur, subverting it to a self-referential term that is often suggestive of familiarity, endearment, or kinship. When spelled phonetically, the word often was represented as nigguh; however, currently, when used in this manner, the spelling is often changed to nigga or niggah. In general the word is accepted as being racist and dehumanizing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigger_(word)

You see, I always thought these answer sites lose their usefulness when questions that can be easily "googled" get asked here, then the answers are copied text of what others get from doing the standard web searches. Try to think of questions that need more opinionated answers, and on race matters, there must easily be a ton of them. I have one I'll post.

White but kept alive by the African American culture. It is verbal Kryptonite for white people to say but alive and well within the black community. It has transcended any form of racism as far as I see since it is only common vernacular amongst blacks. One day I can gleefully say this word to a black friend in jest and smiles prevail. I already got my "Hood" pass stamped. I am officially also an honorary Hispanic too. see this video:

The people from Nigeria are called Nigerians, the people from Niger...filter in the US southern accent, and you get that word

During Britains infamous past as slave traders,they used to go to the river Niger in Africa,and the slaves were called Nigers (i.e., from the Niger)Unfortunately is is now a racial hatred term for anyone that has a brown or black skin colour which has been lenghtened to nigger.

I have read that the word came from the River Niger and was used to refer to the first sighting of people in Africa in the area. The Europeans didn't know what they saw so they referred to them as simply Nigers, meaning 'Black' or 'Black spirits'.

Nigger (Negro)- Black (Skin)Latin Moor (Black) used in the derogatory in Britain to desrcibe African Niggardly used to desrcibe King George II (Ambitious of military glory. Niggardly, irritable. Married capable, adroit Caroline of Ansbach. Buried at Westminster.) In this context meaning stingy (1727) Nigger defined by webster- Tool , derogatory used to desrcibe dark skin people. Nigger Nigger Nigger Nigger Nigger Nigger Nigger Nigger I say it a hundred times every morning, keeps my teeth white.

we all have name tags mine is ''cracker'' i am a man of god, my brother is MY BROTHER iam not dicounting wha t has happend in the past. that was terrible, but dont blame me for what i have not done. i would like anyone that would like to talk w/me please email me @ theultimateface@gmail.com

I flatly refuse to answer that question.

The origin of this RASCIST word? Well, just who made it such a taboo word. It's PEOPLE who made it racist. Origin, i will have to guess the whites that hated blacks because of skin color, which is stupid... thank god there aren't any of those bastards right? If u said it was just a word: I would say what Alatea said.

http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/more/430/